An online forum of the ABA Section of Antitrust Law's Privacy and Information Security Committee

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On November 19, 2013, the Federal Trade Commission held a day-long workshop, “Internet of Things: Privacy and Security in a Connected World” on the privacy implications concerning devices such as cars, home appliances, fitness equipment, and other machines that are able to gather data and connect to the internet. For consumers, these devices can help track health, remotely monitor aging family members, reduce utility bills, and even send alerts to buy more milk.

Ubiquitous Internet of Things

Technological advances and new business models centered around the internet of things have taken off.
It has been reported that crowd-sourcing start-up, Quirky, has teamed up with GE to develop connected-home products. Another start up company isdeveloping tracking technology through GPS-embedded tags. On November 20, 2013, Qualcomm announced that has developed a line of chips for the internet of things space. It has been argued that companies should adjust their business models and use the internet of things to connect to customers. These developments present the FTC with the challenge of keeping up with technology to protect consumers and the competitive landscape.

In her remarks, Chairwoman Edith Ramirez emphasized how ubiquitous smart devices have become. Five years ago, she remarked, there are more “things” than people connected to the Internet; by 2015, there will be an estimated twenty-five billion things connected to the Internet and by 2020, an estimated fifty billion. Commissioner Maureen Ohlhausen, in her remarks later in the workshop, stated that the FTC will conduct policy research to understand the effects that technological advances and innovative business models concerning the internet of things have on consumers and the marketplace.

Privacy and Security Challenges

Chairwoman Ramirez noted privacy and security challenges presented by the internet of things. Privacy risks are present since devices connected to the internet can collect, compile, and transmit information about consumers in ways that may not have been expected. When aggregated, the data pieces collected by devices present “a deeply personal and startlingly complete picture of each of us.” Security risks are present since “any device connected to the Internet is potentially vulnerable to hijack.” Indeed, these risks have been reported and present real concerns.

Chairwoman Ramirez noted that the FTC will be vigilant in bringing enforcement actions against companies who fail to properly safeguard consumers from security breaches. She noted as an example the FTC’s first enforcement forayinto the internet of things against TRENDnet for failing to properly design its software and test its internet-connected security cameras, leaving consumers vulnerable to a hacker who accessed the live feeds from 700 cameras and made them available on the Internet. When it encounters consumer harm, Commissioner Olhausen stated that the FTC will use its traditional enforcement tools to challenge any potential threats that arise, much like it has done in the data security, mobile, and big data spaces.

Chairwoman Ramirez said that companies that take part in the internet of things ecosystem are “stewards of the consumer data” and that “with big data comes big responsibility.” The FTC has published a number of best practices that Chairwoman Ramirez identified as useful for companies in the internet of things space: (1) privacy by design—privacy protections built in from the outset, (2) simplified consumer choice—allowing consumers to control their data, and (3) transparency—disclosure of what information the devices collect and how it is being used.

FTC Report Forthcoming

The FTC will produce a report on what it has learned from the November 19 workshop and provide fruther recommendations about best practices. The FTC report can educate consumers and businesses on how to maximize consumer benefits and avoid or minimize any identified risks. Commissioner Ohlhausen stressed that the FTC should identify whether existing laws and existing regulatory structures, including self-regulation, are sufficient to address potential harms.

Vint Cerf of Google, who gave the keynote presentation, advised that rather than relying on regulations to protect privacy, social conventions should be developed. He stated that “while regulation might be helpful, an awful lot of the problems that we experience with privacy is a result of our own behavior.”

The same day as the workshop, the Future of Privacy Forum released a white paper arguing for an updated privacy paradigm for the internet of things that focuses not on how information is collected and communicated but on how organizations use personally identifiable information.